Goods Way is one of the main roads in the new neighbourhood that's erupted north of King's Cross station. Previously it was all gasholders and goods sheds, hence its availability for millennial redevelopment, and this too is the origin of the name Goods Way. It ran across a utilitarian landscape just to the south of the Regent's Canal, connected Pancras Road to York Way and would have been generally dodged by the average Londoner. In its freshly-sanitised form it follows much the same route but was straightened out at its western end when St Pancras station was extended in the mid 2000s. Today it's perhaps best known as 'that road you have to cross to get to Granary Square' but there are also several reasons to pause before crossing the bridge.
The bottom of Goods Way slots between Camden Council's HQ and Camley Street Natural Park. The latter is a popular green oasis, recently upspruced, but alas with no access at this southern end so all you can do is admire its back fence. The former contains Pancras Square public library which is about as altruistic as this street now gets. Case in point is the hospitality complex nextdoor, called with stunning unoriginality 'Goods Way', which quadruples up as a gig venue, speakeasy, saloon bar and food court. Step inside and you'll surely find something to suit your extrovert tastes, is its rationale, ideally while spending a shedload on drinks. Alternatively you can buy a coffee from Kiss The Hippo, if their van's parked up, or splash out on a vegan burger or maybe mix and match some fashion accessories, and I think you get the picture.
There are no shops on the canalside side but there is a mysterious fenced enclosure, owned by Cadent, as a reminder that all that gas infrastructure hasn't completely gone away. Two footbridges now cross to Granary Square, with its popular green steps leading down to the water's edge, although there is a smidgeon of towpath on this side allowing a few boats to moor up and punctuate the air with woodsmoke. Those bridges also feed an often-interminable stream of pedestrians towards the zebra crossings on Goods Way, creating an obstruction queueing drivers must get pretty peeved by. And at the far end, where there used to be a petrol station, is a terraced restaurant called Gas Station where a grilled pork chop costs £16.5 and fries are £4.8 extra, so maybe don't.
But the most significant building on Goods Way isn't finished yet. It's Google's new HQ, the amazing Heatherwick groundscraper, which'll be 11 storeys high and longer than the Shard is tall. This northern end is the most substantial, currently a stack of supported floorplates zigzagging gently upwards from the station. Google already have offices across Pancras Square so this'll complete their N1C campus, probably in a couple of years, assuming they still have 4000 employees who don't want to work from home. This street has been totally transformed since the days of coal, steam and gas, and these days the goods on Goods Way are mostly food, drink and information.
